[183.04] Predictable Glitches in PSR J0537-6910

We report the accumulated results of more than six and a
half years of monitoring of PSR J0537-6910, the 16-ms pulsar
in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using data acquired with the
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. During this campaign the pulsar
experienced some 20 sudden increases in frequency
("glitches") of at least one microHz, amounting to a gain of
six parts per million of rotation frequency superposed on
its normal spindown of ~-1.99 x 10-10 Hz/s. The
time interval from one glitch to the next obeys a strong
linear correlation to the amplitude of the first glitch,
with a mean slope of about 400 days per parts per million in
the glitch amplitude. As a result, the time of the next
glitch can usually be predicted to an accuracy of a few
days. The magnitude of the pulsar spindown continues to
increase, and thus its timing age continues to decrease at a
rate of about 1/2 year per year. The implications of these
observations are discussed.